It has become one of the most anticipated games of the hockey season and this year is no exception.

It’s Notre Dame against Princeton Day and the two local powers are meeting today at 5:30 p.m. on the ice at Loucks Ice Center in Lawrenceville.

“Any time you play a successful and very competitive local team where a number of the kids from both sides play together or know each other there is always a tendency for a rivalry to exist,” PDS coach Scott Bertoli said. “Again this year, both teams are off to good starts and we expect a highly competitive game with ND.”

Both teams are looking to build on the momentum gained prior to the break.

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Princeton Day (6-1-1) had a very successful 2-1 showing in the prestigious Barber Tournament in Massachusetts.

The Irish (7-2) are coming off a very impressive 3-1 win over St. Joseph’s (Metuchen).

“Hopefully, the St, Joe’s win will show our boys as well as the rest of the state that we can compete with the top teams in the state,” Irish coach Andrew Ducko said. “We want to play as many tough games as possible. This is a game that will also get us ready for Montclair Kimberly on Monday.”

While ND was impressive in their test, the Panthers took some giant strides up in Massachusetts.

“We had a tremendous experience at the Barber,” Bertoli said. “We played some very good teams and found ways to win games in which we trailed heading to the third period. Playing without some of our top players forced some of our role players into different situations and hopefully instilled some confidence in them moving forward. We need to play at the level we did in New England to build on our early successes.”

Dakota Skove leads ND with 27 points and 12 goals with Connor Todaro right there with 11 goals. They have been getting solid work in the net from Kyle Young.

PDS follows the leadership of Sean Timmons as the senior has eight goals and nine assists for 17 points. Freshman Logan Kramsky has been steady between the pipes.

“This is a game the kids look forward to every year,” Ducko said.

Hun Passed Road Test with Flying Colors

The Raiders spent a few days over the break in Washington D.C. at the Purple Puck Tournament and came away with a second place finish.

Before the final Hun (6-4-1) defeated Bullis, DeMatha, fell to Gonzaga and tied St. Joe’s Prep in the round robin event. It met Gonzaga again in the final game.

But, the Raiders tested the Eagles (10-3-1) in the final getting off 28 shots in the championship game. The effort in goal earned Gonzaga’s goalie Nick Platais the Most Valuable Player honor.

“The tourney will be great for us in the coming months,” Hun coach Ian McNally said. “You can already see the bonding experience coming in handy just as the tournament went on. Winning games showed the boys that we have the ability to win ever game we are in and those are lessons that will be key come February playoff games.”

Hun gets back to the Independence league battles next week when Academy of the New Church (3-0) visits Iceland.

The Lions were a formidable Indy foe last season, but there are a few new faces that have been impressive for the Raiders.

One of them has been Jonathan Bendorf. The freshman has already netted 23 goals in just 11 games.

“He is a very natural scorer,” McNally said of Bendorf. “We haven’t had much trouble scoring and he has been a big catalyst for us in that department. He is pretty clutch from within 20 feet.”

Some new faces and some bonding are leading to a very impressive 2014 for the Raiders.

Ravens Have Tough Start to Month

After having its game with Fair Lawn cancelled for yesterday Robbinsville will be preparing for out of conference tests with Livingston on Monday and Glen Rock on the ninth.

The two are sandwiched around a CVC tilt with Paul VI.

Livingston (6-4-1) will be a test for the Ravens (6-0-1) due to the almost three week layoff. Once Robbinsville gains their skating legs they should get passed them.

Glen Rock (9-1) is another story. One of the premier teams in the state they will be a good team for Dan Bergan’s kids.

Robbinsville is expected to be without John Francis as he recovers from an injury suffered a couple games ago.

The Ravens will travel to South Mountain Arena to face Livingston, but Glen Rock will be visiting Iceland for a 7 p.m. faceoff on January 9th.

These two games could have a lot to say about the Ravens and the state tournament.